The longtime representative knows how to pass good bills — and kill bad ones.

After 27 years on the job, state Rep. Garnet F. Coleman, 56, knows his way around the Texas Legislature about as well as anybody there and better than most. He's a liberal Democrat in a sea of conservative Republicans who manages to get a surprising number of things done.

"Some people know how to kill bills, some people know how to pass bills. I know how to do both," he told the editorial board.

In the last legislative session, he introduced the Sandra Bland Act to address issues from Bland's tragic 2015 arrest and imprisonment that ended in her suicide in the Waller County Jail. His bill didn't get out of committee, but state Sen. John Whitmire put up a Senate version that excised the offensive parts and got it passed into law.

Coleman has a long history of working on issues of mental and physical health and of seeking funds for the University of Houston and Texas Southern University, both in his district, which extends from downtown southeast past Hobby Airport.

He also says the state needs a revolving fund like the water development fund that local governments can tap into for flood control projects.

His opponent, former U.S. Marine Daniel Espinoza, 43, says his main objective is to help the poor in the largely minority district. He is well-meaning, but needs to learn more about the issues.

Coleman, with a long record of helping those who cannot help themselves and the experience to push his agenda forward against a strong conservative headwind, gets our endorsement.

The winner in this Democratic primary will face Republican candidate Thomas Wang in the fall.